The use of attachments in shower plumbing systems has been well known in the art for some time. Typically these attachments are comprised of a flexible conduit that may be coupled adjacent to a shower head at one end of the conduit to allow fluid communication with a hygiene nozzle secured to the second end of the conduit. These nozzles are intended for daily use and may include hand held spray heads for rinsing off during showering or dental syringes for oral hygiene.
Attachments such as those referred to above often integrate valving systems which include coupling components and diverter valves. Because these attachments are intended to be used daily in conjunction with the act of showering and/or hygiene, they are permanently coupled adjacent to the showerhead. Additionally, for those devices which are intended to be used simultaneously with the showerhead, the diverter valve may permit flow of water to the showerhead and partial flow of water to the attachment.
Permanent attachment is necessary because these devices are intended to be used on a regular basis, i.e., daily. However, such configurations are not conducive to attachments used for cleaning shower stalls or other bathroom fixtures because attachments such as these are required on a less frequent basis, i.e., only during cleaning. When not in use, these cleaning attachments may inhibit use of the showerhead. Additionally, some of the above-described devices divert only a portion of the water flow to the attachments, such that water continues to flow out of the showerhead also. When cleaning bathroom fixtures, especially shower stalls, it would be undesirable for water to continue to flow out of the showerhead because persons who have entered the shower stall to clean the area may become wet.
Furthermore, the limited range of movement of a typical showerhead and the limited head pressure in the showerhead make it difficult to direct a stream of water to all areas of the shower stall for cleaning purposes. Even when water can be directed to a desired area, the water spray pattern from a showerhead makes it difficult to contain the spray to a limited area. For example, when cleaning shower doors or the upper portions of a shower compartment, a typical showerhead cannot be positioned to direct a rinsing spray to these areas. Thus, these areas may remain unrinsed or water may be transported to these areas using some other means, such as a container.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a diverter valve assembly and cleaning attachment which would allow the cleaning attachment to be is easily removed and stored until needed. Additionally, it is desirable to provide a diverter valve which shuts off water to the showerhead when the attachment system is connected. It is also desirable to provide a rinsing system which allows water to be selectively directed to an area to be rinsed. One such device is disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,548 (the '548 patent) issued to Mueller, et al. In the experience of this inventor, the device of the '548 patent has one drawback which is that the spring loaded valve runner can occasionally “stick” after much use and over an extended period of time. That is, the valve runner can remain in the valve “open” position even after the rinsing system attachment is disconnected. When this occurs, there is an incomplete sealing to the second water outlet which can lead to water discharge when such is not desired or required by the user. The source of this sticking, or fouling, appears to be the use of a spring-loaded valve runner within the device. The presence of naturally occurring minerals in the water or of bactericidal chemicals that are added to municipal water supplies are the most likely suspects in this fouling.
What is needed is an improved showerhead that accomplishes the desired operation and movement of the valve runner within the showerhead, but with less parts and specifically without the extra mechanical element of the spring. The use of less parts creates a device that is easier to assembly and is very reliable in its functionality through simplicity. It is also desirable to provide such an improved showerhead wherein the proper operation and movement of the valve runner to the valve “closed” position is accomplished essentially by gravity, or by gravity and nominal water pressure within the showerhead. It is further desirable to provide such an improved showerhead wherein the valve runner moves axially within the housing with very little frictional effect and essentially “floats” within the housing.